There is no doubt that there are some things that the Internet is very good for: gossip, news, pointless games, funny videos, research tools. One thing I have never really thought that the Internet was very good for was art. I stand corrected. The latest project from artist, designer and computer scientist Jonathan Harris (known for his previous projects "We Feel Fine," "Lovelines," "Universe" and "10×10"), "The Whale Hunt," is simply extraordinary.
The project documents in 3,214 photographs a nine-day trip Harris took in May to Barrow, Alaska (the northernmost settlement in the United States), where he participated in a whale hunt with the Inupiat Eskimos who live there. From waking up in Brooklyn and driving to a Newark airport to gathering supplies in Barrow to waiting out on the ice for a whale to come within striking distance to harvesting two 36′ Bowhead whales, the project is an exercise in exhaustive, meticulous storytelling. The photographs were taken at five-minute intervals throughout the course of the trip, except in moments when Harris’ adrenaline was high; during those moments, the photographs were taken with a greater frequency, mimicking the rate of Harris’ heartbeat. When watching the slideshow of the photographs, there is a graph resembling a heartbeat at the bottom of the computer screen. The graph indicates moments in the sequence of the slideshow during which Harris’ adrenaline was high, and gives more of a narrative shape to the story.
But this isn’t just a new way of telling a story on the Internet. In many cases, the photographs themselves are simply stunning. If you don’t have the time to watch the entire 3,214 photographs of the slideshow, at least look at the "Highlights" link. Scrolling through these photographs, it’s easy to forget you aren’t in a Chelsea gallery, but instead sitting on your couch with a cup of tea.